Customer Reviews

The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this recording on cassette at a flea market and have been absolutely delighted with it - oh, yeah, my 7-year-old likes it, too! Roald Dahl's voice fleshes out the stories and characters, as well as his typical dry observations, in a refreshing departure that satisfies kids and adults alike (we've been testing it). Remember the songs the Oompa-Loompas sang in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or the poems in "James and the Giant Peach?" I found them to be a bit disruptive when I read those books as a child; didn't "get" them. Hearing Mr. Dahl read them really allowed me to enjoy them as well.
One word to the content: I'd forgotten that Roald Dahl does write (and read) about some tough stuff, "warts and all," as it were. Sponge and Speicker are hateful and abusive to James. The three farmers in "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" are portrayed in disgusting detail. James loses his parents scarily and suddenly when they are killed in New York (richly enough, they are eaten by a rhinocerous, which are neither native to New York nor carniverous). It's a tough world in his books. Yet it's a wondrous, fanciful one. I want my son to hang on to the perfect illusion of the latter and learn about the former aspect of the world as late as possible. He's already got hip to the tough world bit, though; so we'll aim to integrate life's knocks and laughs as best we can.
The first words I hear when I start the car engine are "Kid's tape!" sometimes alternating with, "Kid's tape, please?" or "Would you please put on a kid's tape when you get the chance?" (Guess who suggested that last version?) Suffice to say, I hear a lot of "kid's tapes," so I prefer ones I can enjoy as well. This is one of those. The recordings are long, too, like this r-

We bought this set for our 5-year-old son after having checked it out of the library a kazillion times. The author who reads the stories has a wonderful story-telling voice. My son listens to them over and over and over again. Great stories to read, and a wonderful CD set to listen to.

I ordered this CD set for my grandkids to listen to. They have "joint custody" of the set. It rotates from house to house by the week. This is part of a circulating set that they listen to a bedtime. On busy nights, when Mom and Dad don't have time to read, this satisfies their desire for a bedtime story, plus it lasts longer than a short story or two. They sometimes drift off to sleep listening to the CDs. With 11 grandkids, this comes in handy. I'm very glad I bought this set and am so impressed that it is read by the author. This way we get the intended inflection and each nuance.

I bought this for the Kindergarten rest time we have each day for Extended Care. It depends on the mood of the children as Roald Dahl since the kids were "bored" at first since Dahl's voice is actually not as animated as I thought it would be. However the kids have calmed down a bit and like to listen to him. It's nice to have since they do know the stories but I do wish it was more "story" like. If I recall correctly I don't think there is any music in the background either.

Roald Dahl is hands down the best author I read as a child (I am now in my mid-twenties). I bought this CD set because his stories are amazing and I do a lot of driving. I would strongly recommend this set, however, there were a couple small disappointments that led to my 4 star rating (these would not likely affect the average person):
1. the stories are abridged, so while still fun to hear, some parts of the stories are missing detail.
2. I am familiar with the English (UK) books, so I was disappointed to hear a couple North American tweaks (ie. Charlie found a dollar bill in the snow rather than the British coin he found in my book).
Overall, this is a great set that I would recommend to anyone.

I bought this collection for my son's fifth birthday, it is a year and a half later and this collection is still on a nightly rotation. He absolutely loves to listen to Roald Dahl read these wonderful books. I highly recommend this audio collection!

I purchased this Audio CD collection for my 8 year old son, who enjoys all of the Roald Dahl books. The audio cd is a great addition to reading his favorite stories. Beautifully narrated and easy to follow, my son can really connect the events of the book with the audio narration to give him a big picture and better comprehension. We love Roald Dahl, and this cd is a great addition to our collection.

As a child, Roald Dahl books captivated me. Now my 4-year-old daugher delights in her "rest" breaks each afternoon as well on long car trips, when we put on one of these stories. She enjoys the fanciful tales narrated by the author himself, and the stories are enjoyable for adults and children alike. The stories are abridged - but this makes many of them manageable for one sitting, which is ideal for the younger listener. We never bore of them!

Always loved Roald Dahl's books with his slightly sinister humor. Now I can enjoy his stories when being on the road. What a treat!
MAKE THE COUGAR PURR
Make The Cougar Purr

This was a gift for my granddaughter. I don't know if she's listened to it yet, but her parents were pleased with the gift.